Don Quijote Illustration by Gustave Dore VII

Quixotism ( or ; adj. quixotic) is impracticality in pursuit of ideals, especially those ideals manifested by rash, lofty and romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action. Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of quixotic
/ref> It also serves to describe an

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

without regard to

practicality Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action (philosophy), action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, ...

. An impulsive person or act might be regarded as quixotic. Quixotism is usually related to "over-idealism", meaning an idealism that doesn't take consequence or absurdity into account. It is also related to naïve

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

and to

utopianism A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...

Origin

Quixotism as a term or a quality appeared after the publication of '' Don Quixote'' in 1605. Don Quixote, the hero of this novel, written by Spanish author

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best know ...

, dreams up a romantic ideal world which he believes to be real, and acts on this idealism, which most famously leads him into imaginary fights with windmills that he regards as giants, leading to the related metaphor of " tilting at windmills". Already in the 17th century the term quixote was used to describe a person who does not distinguish between reality and imagination. The poet

John Cleveland John Cleveland (16 June 1613 – 29 April 1658) was an English poet who supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. He was best known for political satire. Early life Cleveland was born in Loughborough, the son of Thomas Cleveland, ...

wrote in 1644, in his book ': The word quixotism is mentioned, for the first time, in ''Pulpit Popery, True Popery'' (1688): Spanish language opposes quijotesco ("Quixotic") with sanchopancesco ("lacking idealism, accommodating and chuckling" after Sancho Panza).

References

{{Don Quixote Don Quixote Idealism

Origin

See also

References